The only thing that stops the dust is the rain. It’s a sweet reprieve, but there is no middle ground. The land is either as dry as the Betty Ford clinic, or as wet as the ocean floor. Everything can be seen from the ridge overlooking Armadillo as John Marston gently bounces along atop...

Call of Duty 2 Screenshots

Santa Monica , CA – April 7, 2005 – Attention soldiers! Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and acclaimed developer Infinity Ward are back in action with Call of Duty 2 ™, an all new epic title which delivers an unparalleled portrayal of the chaos and intensity that was World War II. The sequel to the award-winning Call of Duty ™, Call of Duty 2 is powered by a proprietary new engine featuring striking new visuals, advanced A.I. technology, the most realistic squad combat and explosive action in new historic campaigns. The title is scheduled for release this fall and is not yet rated by the ESRB.

Call of Duty 2 lets players experience four individual soldier stories as they overcome insurmountable odds in multiple campaigns. Players have the freedom to follow each of the four storylines through for the ultimate character-driven experience, or they can engage in the historic battles chronologically for quick hitting action.

Infinity Ward, creator of the blockbuster, original Call of Duty , has also expanded the scope of combat to deliver a truly realistic battlefield experience. Squads now have the freedom to take on a variety of mission objectives, on expansive battlefields that allow for multiple paths and the ability to utilize actual combat tactics like outflanking and fire and maneuver capabilities.

Call of Duty 2 's new engine and A.I. technology set the stage for authentic squad combat and astonishing action. Concealment can be key as battlefield smoke or even deployed smoke grenades cloud visibility. Weather effects such as the dusty sandstorms of North Africa and whiteout blizzard conditions of Russia , for example, will keep soldiers glued to their bunkers. The team has also employed a state-of-the-art Battle Chatter System that brings the action to life as squad-mates bark out context-sensitive updates in real-time to players through an advanced A.I. system.

"Our team at Infinity Ward is committed to thrusting gamers into the heat of battle like no other, taking players on a thrill-ride of adrenaline that leaves everyone gasping for air," states Grant Collier, president, Infinity Ward. "In Call of Duty 2 , we are creating the most intense and realistic action game imaginable with a stunning visual atmosphere and an advanced technology that delivers an unprecedented level of authenticity."

Q: Tell us about Call of Duty 2, when & where does it take place?

Zied Rieke (lead designer): Call of Duty 2 is a natural progression for our team and a huge step forward in intensity, authenticity and action. We are taking the hallmarks of the original Call of Duty and expanding them to create the most intense, amazing battlefield experience ever. Call of Duty 2 covers a vast number of locations, from North Africa to Russia to Germany . We have worked meticulously to create battles and develop rich stories from the trenches across the length of much of the war itself.

More specifically in Call of Duty 2, we're taking you to North Africa where you'll get a chance to match wits against General Rommel the "Desert Fox" and his Afrikakorps and experience the harsh dusty realities of desert warfare.

In addition, players will return to locations of some popular battles of the first Call of Duty, in new and exciting missions. For example, players will experience new missions in and around the battle for Stalingrad , the grueling six month blood bath that cost the German Army over six hundred thousand soldiers. They will also be thrown into other battles on the Eastern and Western fronts that you'll find out about in the next few months.

A lot of our focus has always been on recreating epic and cinematic intensity and putting the player in an authentic situation with a squad of soldiers that react to the world around them. Call of Duty fans will be amazed at new level of detail, authenticity and immersion in Call of Duty 2.

Q: We understand Call of Duty 2 uses a new game engine, can you tell us about the new engine and what it does?

Jason West (chief technology officer): We designed the new technology around the game we wanted to build. We feature immense open environments, epic chaotic battles and an amazing number of AI, both friendly and enemy. To allow us to bring the battlefield experience and immersion to the next level we designed the new tech to use real-time dynamic lighting and shadows, specular maps, projected texture lighting and normal maps.

The AI system uses more realistic tactics, on both the friendly and enemy sides. Each team will use fire and maneuver and flanking tactics against threats, which is especially important with the new non-linear gameplay that we have added to Call of Duty 2.

Effects and weather are now more realistic than ever with the new technology, allowing for some amazing situations. Rain and snow will not only look realistic, but also cause the AI to react in more realistic ways. We also use smoke for portable concealment on the battlefield, from deployed smoke grenades as well as explosions in the area. The AI understand the smoke and use their new abilities in their interactions.

Overall, everything we've done with the proprietary new technology was to allow us to make even more amazing and intense battles, which is the hallmark of the Call of Duty world.

Content on this page comes directly from press releases and fact sheets provided by publishers and developers and was not written by the Game Revolution staff.